Glowing Clouds
My first fanfic so please be nice in the comments.(talk) 06:16, November 13, 2013 (UTC) Chapter One: The Train Track The wind stirred the heather tussocks behind us as I, Sherbert, and my brother, Worm, were standing in front of a railway track. We were playing Truth or Dare, and, Worm said he wanted a dare from me, which is unusual, since it took it ages for Mother to usher him out of the den. A train bolted by on the railway track, and I stared after it. I had dared Worm to cross the railway track. "Go on, brother,just do it!" I grumbled. Worm hesitated. "I don't know, Sherbert. What if another train comes by?" He said. "My dear brother! A train just passed by, another one wouldn't come by now, surely?" I replied. Worm gulped. "Fine! I'll do it just for you, sister!" Worm mewed. As soon as he set his trembling paw on the train track, we heard a loud snarl from behind us. "Worm! Sherbert! How dare you!" Worm took his paw off the train track immediately and we both spun around. Uh oh... It was Mother and Father! Mother was a calico she-cat with silver dapples down her back which glinted in the sunlight and light amber eyes, Father was a tall and handsome tom with a short and thick black coat and a downward white raindrop shape on his chest and dark blue eyes. Father glared at us. "Remember when you two tried to jump across the pit? Sherbert, you ripped out one of your claws, and Worm, you broke your leg! And remember when you two were playing chasey in the thickest part of the heather? Sherbert, you nearly poked out your own eye! And Worm tripped and had a nasty fall. And then you two tried to climb the Great Stone Wall, and you BOTH broke your legs! And now what are you two doing now? Crossing the railway track? Well then, what's next? Jump down the gorge?" He said. "But when we tried to climb the Great Stone Wall, Sherbert practically jumped on a cloud!" Worm said. I was quite grateful for his defense. But I bristled. "I will cross the railway track and I shall prove it!" I hissed. I spin around and started trotting across the train track. As I was walking past, a train bolted by, but that wasn't my end. I could hear faint screams behind me as I ran away... Chapter Two: The Yew Bush It had almost been a half-moon since my escape from my family. I just assumed that they died like they all do in the end, but apart from that my new life was okay. I lived underneath a yew bush and I had a perfect and organized routine. At dawn, I'll creep out and catch some food for my breakfast. But I had to watch out for those little groups of adult cats that go hanging out at dawn, though. Then when the sun is up for morning, I eat my food. In the late morning I'll go out on little walks and catch some prey along the way, too. At noon I eat my prey and laze around in my home or enjoy the warm sun. At evening I go out again and have little walks and catch food for dinner. Once it's dark, I eat my food and bury the leftovers. See? I was perfectly fine. One day, I saw one of those little groups of adult cats walk to my yew bush. I stayed as still as possible. "Some deathberries . . . we better warn the others . . . should we tell Moonstar?" I heard some voices of them murmering to eachother. Then they walked away. I finally relaxed again. Deathberries... I silently recalled the words of those adult cats. But I only shrugged and fell asleep. Chapter Three: Taken In It was a yucky day. The sky was grey and heavy with thick black clouds and huge drops of water plopped on the peaty ground around the leaking world. The sun shone less but whenever it did, a cloud would always rotate across it, and then a lot of other clouds will start to cover the sun. I saw a group of three cats approach the yew bush I lived in. They were a regal black-and-white tom, a beautiful and slender silver tabby she-cat with black mackerel stripes and soft, calm leaf-green eyes and a large long-furred pale ginger tabby tom. "Yes, I am quite sure that this was the exact same deathberry bush my patrol found last night, Moonstar." The long-furred pale ginger tabby meowed to the regal black-and-white tom. Moonstar blinked. "It couldn't do that many harm, Lionclaw. You know how kits aren't allowed out of the PearlClan camp. And the apprentices and warriors will just have to be alert, that's all. We should go back to camp, underneath the shelter of our dens." Moonstar mewed in reply. Lionclaw dipped his head. But the silver tabby she-cat stepped forward. "Moonstar, Lionclaw, wait." She said, her tail lashing and her face deadly serious. "What is it, Shinyfern?" Lionclaw asked. "I hear leaves rustling from that yew bush over there. Look - a shadow's under it! It's moving! It must be a kit! Oh, that poor thing. Out alone in the cold yucky weather, underneath a prickly deathberry bush, in danger of dying, in danger of catching a cold, with nobody to look after it. Oh, that dear poor thing!" Shinyfern wailed. "And how do you know that it's a kit?" Lionclaw grunted. He didn't seem convinced. I bristled from inside my yew bush. My home isn't prickly! I haven't caught a cold! I'm perfectly fine and responsible! I'm not dying! And I'm not cold, either! I could see Moonstar observe Shinyfern and Lionclaw argue back and forth, but he stepped forward. "If Shinyfern's determined to check out what's underneath that bush, she can go ahead. Lionclaw, you are excused to go to camp and you are lucky this time not to be punished by disobeying the deputy's orders. You got that? Go back to camp and rest, and also tell the Clan the news. Shinyfern, you can go check what's underneath the yew bush, just be careful. What if a bear cub is under there?" Lionclaw nodded but said nothing. Lionclaw spun around muttering something only I could here, "Well, the Clan better be eager with what Shinyfern brings back! And if her heart is set on that I might as well walk right off that duty! And why in StarClan would Moonstar think that a bear cub would be under a deathberry bush?" I froze as Shinyfern approached my home. She reached out her neck and peered in. She saw me. "Why, hello,''there, little one!" Shinyfern exclaimed in a high-pitched voice. I wanted to run but my paws seemed as if they were stuck to the ground. Shinyfern's teeth grasped my scruff and she pulled me out. I started wailing and flailing. I squealed. "Uh oh. My teeth must be hurting her!" Shinyfern said, loosening her grip on me. ''Yes! I should keep squealing so she can keep loosening her grip on me and I can run away when she drops me! I squealed again, but this time it had no effect. My plan was failing! I had to think fast. But I was dazed and confused. My eyes were beginning to close. I stupidly decided to close them... And I blacked out for a bit. Chapter Four: Collecting Pansy I slowly battered open my eyes and I expected to feel the tips of glossy green leaves hanging down on my lip, and ripe red yew berries dangling over my eyes, tempting me. But instead I saw none of that when I woke up. Just empty space... I rolled over and I rolled straight into soft ginger and white fur with a plump, bulging belly. "Ah!" I shrieked and as I glanced up I saw beautiful blue eyes reflecting into my own pair of light blue eyes. "Who are you? We're am I?" I wailed. "Oh, darling! I am Dawnsun. I am supposed to look after you. And you are curled up safely in the nursery of the PearlClan camp." Dawnsun explained. I nodded, half fascinated. "What is PearlClan?" I asked. "Ah, sweetie, PearlClan is the place where you are right now!" Dawnsun purred. But that wasn't specific. "Can I go outside?" I asked. "Sure, honey. Yes you can." Dawnsun smiled proudly as I got up and bounded out of the nursery. I explored around and I was fascinated at the luxury and pure faith that was brought to life in the decorations around PearlClan camp. A few moments later I wondered upon a field of beautiful flowers with a little black smudgy marking in the middle. They were all varied colours - velvet, indigo, purple, red, orange, azure, white, yellow, and many different other colours. I pranced around in that lovely field and I probably didn't even notice a cream and ginger tabby she-cat with indigo eyes and light brown patches and dapples scattered out randomly through her pelt. After a while the ginger and cream tabby she-cat walked up to me and whispered, "Hey there, can you help me collect pansy for Glossyleaf, the medicine cat of PearlClan?" She asked me. I nodded slowly and followed her and we started picking the pansy, one by one. "What's your name? I'm Sherbert." I asked. "I'm Pansydapple." Pansydapple mewed. I nodded and continued collecting the pansy in my jaws. Later we padded to the medicine cat den and waited for somebody to come out. I thought of just coming in there but Pansydapple thought it was rude to barge in somebody's den when they were busy. So we stuck around a bit more, and just before we finally decided to just leave the pansy at the entrance of Glossyleaf's den, I saw an elderly and merry looking sleek black she-cat with white legs and dark green eyes with russet flecks on her body. "Hello. I'm Sherbert. And I'm here with Pansydapple to give you some pansy... I assume that you are Glossyleaf?" I said in a casual polite voice. "Well, hello there young darling! It'd be lovely if you hand the pansy to me. Here, thanks." Glossyleaf spoke in a jolly voice. Glossyleaf sat down as she quietly observed the pansy. Then Glossyleaf had looked up. I followed her gaze and I saw grey clouds covering the sun. When the clouds moved away from the sun Glossyleaf looked down again. And up. And down. And up. And down. Suddenly Glossyleaf stood up. "I have an announcement to make! Everybody gather here and listen to what I have to say!" She declared. The cats started gathering around and when Dawnsun bounded over to me in a few easy leaps her bulging belly swayed from side to side and she licked my scruffy little head. "Why must you be hanging around the older cats, dear? Why couldn't you play with the other kits instead?" She said. I puffed. "I was only helping Pansydapple collect some pansy." I explained to her. Dawnsun nodded and she wrapped her tail around me and swept me toward her as she glanced up at Glossyleaf. "I have found an omen. Pansydapple was collecting pansy for me... With young little Sherbert. And I noticed something quite odd about the pansy. The black markings in the middle of it are shaped exactly like Pansydapple's spots. This is what the pattern of the pansy looks like when the clouds are covering the sun. When the clouds move away from the sun the patterns in the middle of the pansy flower changes to plain normal. This means... Pansydapple simply must be sent to Cloud Cat Adoption!" Glossyleaf declared. The Clan gasped in shock. "Wasn't Sherbert involved in it too?" Dawnsun meowed, narrowing her eyes at Glossyleaf in disbelief. "No. Nothing about Sherbert. The omen doesn't explain ANYTHING about her, in fact." Glossyleaf meowed, but the gasping and shocked yowling still resumed. Chapter Five: Gratitude of Helping I could feel Glossyleaf's sleek pelt brush against mine. "Go help Greystone, darling." Glossyleaf mewed. "Why? Where is he?" I asked. "On a little stone path. Just outside the camp, dear. But watch your paws. Some of those stones there are sure to be sharp!" Glossyleaf warned. I nodded and padded out of camp unnoticed and a stepped apron a cream path with millions and millions of tiny cream stones and I saw a lynx-point grey tom with stripy legs about to step on a grey stone. The only single grey stone out of the entire path. It was another day where the clouds will cover the sun and showers will sprinkle the earth. "Watch out!" I screeched and flew in front of him. "Wait, wha . . .?" Greystone murmured but he stopped when he saw me. "Stop! You almost stepped on a stone!" I panted. "Oh. Thanks, kit. Who are you? I'm Greystone." Greystone mewed. "I'm Sherbert. Nice to meet you, Greystone. Don't ask. Glossyleaf told me to do this." I told him. Later Greystone and I padded back to camp and told Glossyleaf. "I have an announcement to make!" Glossyleaf yowled. All the cats gathered and Glossyleaf explained her omen to the Clan and had announced that Greystone had to go to Cloud Cat Adoption. Pansydapple was purring; it seemed obvious that Pansydapple and Greystone were in pure love. I looked around for Glossyleaf. But she was nowhere... Neither was Dawnsun. I turned around and I pressed myself against the medicine den wall and listened to hush voices as Glossyleaf and Dawnsun talked to each other. "Your kits will be born very soon." That was Glossyleaf. "I can't let them be born! I want birthwort! I don't want kits when I'm still looking after Sherbert." That was Dawnsun wailing. "Well, Sherbert will just have to put up with it. She's big and responsible." Glossyleaf's first sentence was a growl, but her voice softened for the second sentence. I'll have sisters or brothers? Adopted littermates? My heart terribly ached for Worm. It was so fun playing with him when I was little... But adopted littermates will be different. I just hoped they'll understand me like Worm did. I frowned, my chest heavy with memories of Worm and thoughts of new littermates swelling in my chest as I padded to my nest in the nursery. At least I fell asleep with Greystone's gratitude ringing in my ears. But I totally sweat new adopted littermates. What will they be like? Will they understand me like Worm did? Chapter 6: The Last Cat to go to Adoption (Three moon timeskip.) Gashkit, Wrenkit, Sunkit, and Oceankit bowled out of the nursery with their legs flailing. I sighed. Dawnsun had given birth to a new litter of kits while still looking after me, but I had insisted that she could handle sleeping with four extra littermates. But none of them understood me as much as Worm did. Gashkit was a big red tom with yellow eyes, Wrenkit was a sleek black she-kit with a white dab on her chest and blue eyes, Sunkit was a white she-kit with blue eyes, and Oceankit had a short white coat and dark blue eyes but was different from Sunkit. Wrenkit was far too goofy and would never understand the true sides of maturity. Sunkit would always get confused and she would never hear what I had to say. I wondered if Sunkit was listening to Wrenkit and decided to ignore me or whether she was just plain deaf. Sunkit was white with blue eyes and was named after Dawnsun. Glossyleaf used to tell me that kits born with a white coat and blue eyes are most likely to be deaf. Gashkit was pretty good and secretive, but he was shady and I think he'd rather independency then sticking with me. Same with Oceankit. She often kept to herself but she was too distant and never spoke to me. Even if I tried. All of my new four adopted littermates weren't suitable. I sighed at Wrenkit's stupidity and I padded to Glossyleaf's den because I often did that when I was bored. I padded in her den. Pansydapple and Greystone were 'sharing tongues' which I think means that two or more cats spend time with each other. "Glossyleaf, what's the big deal about Pansydapple and Greystone being sent to adoption?" I called out. Glossyleaf padded out of a small hole, her pelt stinking of strong smelling herbs. "Sherbert." She mewed. "Yes?" I asked. "Sherbert. I have something to tell you." Glossyleaf murmured, her dark green eyes soft with fondness. "Come with me, Sherbert." She mewed. So I followed her out of camp and in a small clearing she led me under a bracken fern near the old yew bush I lived in. So then Glossyleaf began, "I have always been very, very fond of you. In fact, you were my favourite one. My favourite kit I could remember. You were more mature then the others - responsible, brave, and helpful. The qualifications may make you a good warrior one day." She mewed. "May? What do you mean by may? I live in PearlClan now, remember?" I said. "No. The cats going to adoption." Glossyleaf mewed, not being able to keep still. She had begun pacing. "How did all of those omens get to you? Did you have a dream?" I asked. Glossyleaf sat beside me and her sleek black tail brushed my back, "Yes, little one. I did get a dream from StarClan which told me that three cats will be going there. Two of them have been covered. Pansydapple and Greystone shall go with somebody else. I don't know who. And the day to leave the Clan to adoption is tomorrow." Glossyleaf meowed. I nodded. "Did you get any hints in your dream?" I asked. "Yes, of course. StarClan told me that the first cat will have an abnormal look and will be found by being helpful - and that was Pansydapple. The second hint from StarClan was that the cat will be lynx-point and will be found by nearly hurting himself - that was Greystone. And the third cat, they said, was much more younger then the other two cats going to the adoption. And that cat used to be an outsider." She stared down at me, her eyes deadly serious. "What if it's an apprentice?" I asked. I was too struck in awe to ask about StarClan again - Dawnsun told me about them before she had new kits. Glossyleaf shook her head. "No, I don't think it's an apprentice. I think it is a kit. You are the only outsider kit. Sherbert, you are the final cat to go to adoption." Glossyleaf murmured. My light blue eyes widened. Category:Jayfics